牝鸡司晨 — “A hen crowing at dawn (figurative)”

Q: What is the Chinese definition of 牝鸡司晨?

母鸡报晓。旧时比喻妇女窃权乱政。

牝鸡司晨 is a Chinese idiom (chengyu) meaning “a hen crowing at dawn (figurative)”. Refers to a woman usurping authority or assuming a dominant role traditionally held by men, often implying disorder or an unnatural state of affairs. Literally, “A hen crows at dawn”.

Frequency

牝鸡司晨 Pronunciation and Pinyin

牝鸡司晨 Character Breakdown

Stroke Order

Character	Pinyin	Strokes	Meaning
牝	pìn	6	female animal
鸡	jī	7	chicken
司	sī	5	manage, control, or operate
晨	chén	11	early morning; dawn

Example Sentence with 牝鸡司晨

在那家公司里，所有的重要决策都由一位女高管说了算，有人私下评论这简直是牝鸡司晨，感叹男员工们失去了话语权。

In that company, all important decisions were made by a female executive. Some privately commented that it was a case of "a hen crowing at dawn," lamenting the male employees' loss of influence.

Origin and Story of 牝鸡司晨

During the Shang Dynasty, King Zhou became infatuated with Daji, a beautiful woman from the state of Su. Daji was known for her cruelty; upon seeing ants perish on a heated bronze basin, she suggested to King Zhou a brutal form of torture called "Paolao," where criminals were tied to scorching hot copper pillars.

After King Wu of Zhou successfully overthrew the tyrannical Shang Dynasty, he reportedly remarked, "When a hen crows at dawn, the household is bound to decline."

This statement later became the origin of the idiom "牝鸡司晨," which metaphorically refers to women usurping authority and causing disorder, seen as an unnatural disruption of traditional order.